The present invention relates to stands and, more particularly, to an adjustable tree stand that can position a cut tree in an upright position.
There are many occasions when it is desired to cut a tree and display it in, generally, an upright position. One of the most readily recognized occasions is the Christmas season, at which time cut evergreen trees are displayed both indoors and outdoors.
Tree stands, and particularly "Christmas tree" stands, are quite well known. One very common type of tree stand includes four legs, a watering pan or dish that also serves as a base or support for the tree and that bears the weight of the tree, four (usually) mounting bolts, and a ring that both connects and stabilizes the legs and positions the mounting bolts. The upper ends of each leg extend through the pan above the waterline, and are joined together by the ring. The legs extend below and outboard of the pan where their ends engage the supporting surface to support the stand on the surface. The ring also surrounds the tree trunk, which rests on the bottom of the pan. The four bolts are threaded into the side of the trunk through holes formed in the ring equidistantly around the circumference of the ring. The ring, the bolts, and the pan cooperate to secure the stand to the tree trunk.
Unfortunately, this type of stand has well-known drawbacks. The stand lacks stability for larger trees due to the relatively small size of the legs. Mounting the tree to the stand is difficult, since the tree must be first lifted and then lowered until the trunk passes through the ring and engages the bottom of the pan, the bolts must be tightened until they all engage the trunk, and the degree to which the bolts are threaded into the trunk must be adjusted until the tree is "straight." This is a difficult two person procedure, especially for a larger tree. The alternative is to mount the stand to the tree while the tree is lying on its side. This is also a difficult procedure, due to the need to tighten the four bolts against the tree trunk while the tree is on its side, and to right the tree after the tree is mounted without damaging the stand. Nonetheless, after the tree is righted, it still must be straightened. With either mounting method, the pan may be cracked or otherwise damaged by the pressure exerted against it by the trunk both during the mounting process and while the tree is being displayed, which will cause the liquid nutrient to leak from the pan. The location of the pan itself (which is fixed since the pan also must function as the primary support for the tree) makes it difficult to "water" the tree. Generally, it is necessary to maneuver a watering can, or some other vessel, full of water, under the branches of the tree to a point near the trunk, and pour the nutrient into the pan. Finally, the diameter of the ring itself imposes a limitation on the size of a trunk that can be accommodated by the stand.
There exists, therefore, a need for a stable, adjustable tree stand to which a cut tree can be mounted more easily, and that permits the tree to be watered with little difficulty.